Canada's TSB Issues Safety Recommendations To Improve Rudder
Inspections On Airbus Aircraft
The Transportation Safety Board of
Canada (TSB) has just released two Aviation Safety Recommendations
following the incident (A05F0047) in which an Airbus A310-300 lost
its rudder after leaving Varadero, Cuba, for Quebec/Jean Lesage
International Airport, Quebec, in March 2005.
As part of the ongoing investigation, information from
post-occurrence fleet inspections suggests that the current
inspection program for Airbus composite rudders might not ensure
the timely detection of defects. Moreover, the recent discovery
that delamination could grow undetected and the increasing age of
the composite rudders suggest that increased attention is
warranted.
The TSB is therefore recommending that the Department of
Transport and the European Aviation Safety Agency, in coordination
with other involved regulatory authorities and industry, urgently
develop and implement an inspection program that will allow early
and consistent detection of damage to the rudder assembly of
aircraft equipped with this type of rudder.
The TSB investigation
into this occurrence is ongoing and is being supported by the
Bureau d'Enquetes et d'Analyses pour la Securite de l'Aviation
Civile (BEA) of France, the National Transportation Safety Board
(NTSB) of the United States, and the Federal Bureau of Aircraft
Accidents Investigation (BFU) of Germany. Technical advisors from
Transport Canada, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA),
Airbus, and Air Transat are also participating.
The TSB's leading role in this investigation does not restrain
foreign organizations from issuing their own recommendations
regarding rudder inspection programs. The Board may also make
further safety recommendations should additional safety
deficiencies be identified.
On March 6, 2005, Air Transat Flight 961, an Airbus A310-300,
departed Juan G. Gomez International Airport in Varadero for
Quebec/Jean Lesage International Airport with 2 pilots, 7 flight
attendants, and 262 passengers on board. While at an altitude of 35
000 feet, the flight crew heard a loud bang followed by vibrations
that lasted a few seconds. The aircraft entered a repetitive
rolling motion, known as dutch roll, which decreased as the
aircraft descended to a lower altitude. After reaching an altitude
of 19,000 feet, the flight crew had no indication of any
abnormalities. The flight returned to Varadero and landed
safely.
The TSB is an independent agency that investigates marine,
pipeline, railway and aviation transportation occurrences. Its sole
aim is the advancement of transportation safety. It is not the
function of the Board to assign fault or determine civil or
criminal liability.
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